Connecting the Channels – Follow us on Twitter

This is part two of a three-part series this week where we’ll be discussing how to get your current contacts to connect with you across new channels. You can read part one at Connecting the Channels – Like Us on Facebook.Follow us on Twitter
Twitter is another communication channel where fans can really help promote your message. Although Twitter has fewer users than Facebook, there are still millions of people using the service and chances are at least some of your event attendees have an account. Unlike Facebook, however, Twitter users don’t automatically share your message with their network when they interact with your account. Here are some tips for making sure you connect with your fans on Twitter – and for making sure they spread the word to their followers as well (for an in-depth look at this topic, check out our post How To Be Popular on Twitter – the science behind getting RTed):

Choose a name that’s easy to remember, say and type. Avoid underscores and dashes if possible because it just makes it that much harder for people to find you on Twitter. If you’ve picked a name that doesn’t reflect your brand or has strange characters or extra numbers, don’t worry, you can change your Twitter username without losing any of your followers or updates. Just go to http://twitter.com/settings/account and change your username to something more appropriate

Save a search for your brand name – and any relevant variations. Twitter now allows you to save search terms, which creates an easy to access link in your right-hand sidebar on the main Twitter site. Simply do a search as normal and at the top of the results a link will appear prompting you to “save this search.” You should be sending @ replies to anyone who mentions your brand or event, following them and encouraging them to follow you back.

Mix up the message. Don’t repeat the same information over and over again and don’t just post links to your own website. New potential followers will probably look at your current stream to decide whether or not they want to follow you and if they see boring content they won’t follow you. Add in commentary about the artists appearing at your events, news about the venue or city you’re in, updates about shows and special deals and promotions available only to Twitter followers.

Always respond to @ replies. Twitter is not a one-way information streets – make sure you are responding to anyone who asks you a question. Would you ignore an email or phone call from an event attendee with a question? Ignoring an @ reply is the same!

Don’t be afraid to follow strangers. You can get more followers and make yourself more visible to a wider Twitter audience by following other accounts that might be relevant to your fans. If you’re a London nightclub, follow some London-related Twitter accounts and engage in conversation with them. Fans of yours in London might notice you in conversation, even if they didn’t realise you have a Twitter account.

Always include your Twitter username and link in any mobile campaigns and promotions. Many Twitter users access Twitter from their phone so make it easy for them to connect with you on Twitter when you send them any mobile updates.

Twitter is a powerful tool for sending bite-sized pieces of information to a wide audience and even more importantly, for allowing your fans to pass the message on to their network. Make it easy for your fans to pass the message on by letting them know your Twitter account information and providing them with relevant, interesting and timely information.Tips for event marketing success:

Get current event attendees and fans from other networks to follow you on Twitter and help spread your content to their friends and followers

Mix up your content, don’t just repeat the same message, or links, over and over again

Have a conversation! Always respond to @replies and when your brand appears in search